Chinese Researchers Develop 500MP Camera System That Can Image Tens of Thousands

“… at least one of the researchers involved in the project has highlighted its potential use for police in monitoring crowds…”

Chinese researchers have developed a 500MP camera system able to capture detailed images of tens of thousands of faces in a single frame, according to a new report.

The system was developed by researchers with Fudan University in Shanghai and the Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Changchun. And not only can it capture still images, but the system can also create ultra-high resolution video; and it can transit such videos and photos to a cloud server.

As Asia Times reports, at least one of the researchers involved in the project has highlighted its potential use for police in monitoring crowds; a professor with the National Defense University of the People’s Liberation Army in Beijing, meanwhile, has been quoted as highlighting its applications in national defense and the military.

It’s also clear that the system could be used together with biometric facial recognition technologies for particularly high-tech surveillance. Such a development would appear likely in China, where police and government use of facial recognition has become widespread and has not faced the same kind of public opposition seen in the United States in recent years.

Still, there has been at least some measure of apprehension with respect to the new 500MP camera system, with another academic affiliated with the Harbin Institute of Technology warning that the camera system is likely too costly in relation to the added benefits it delivers above more standard camera-based surveillance systems, and noting that it could pose violate the privacy of individuals captured in its images.

Source: Asia Times

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September 24, 2019 – by Alex Perala